9 March 2023

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) will be conducting its annual fishery-independent setline survey (FISS) this year. The FISS will be conducted off the coast of Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska during the 2023 fishing period. IPHC will be selling Pacific halibut caught and sampled during these operations to offset the costs associated with conducting the research, in accordance with The Convention between Canada and the United States of America for the preservation of the [Pacific] halibut fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering sea (Article III, paragraph 2).

This media release is intended to notify processors of the IPHC’s plan to sell fish and to update lists of interested buyers in ports where IPHC-chartered vessels will offload catch. 

A total of 9-12 vessels will be involved in the IPHC FISS, with landings between early June and early September. Average trip poundage for Pacific halibut ranges from 5,000 to 35,000 pounds, plus lesser amounts of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and Pacific cod. Please note that IPHC will also be selling U32 Pacific halibut that have been sampled during the FISS. The condition of fish prior to each landing will be communicated in the individual sales announcement. As an update to our fish sales protocols for 2023, all applicable tax deductions must be listed on the bid with exact rates shown.

Sales will be awarded based on the IPHC’s objectives of achieving a fair market price. Sales agreements will be based on prices at the time of the sale. The IPHC will not enter into any consignment or profit-sharing arrangements. The IPHC plans to contact interested Pacific halibut buyers prior to each landing. Preferences will be given to buyers with a history of successfully marketing Pacific halibut and following ethical business practices. In awarding sales, the IPHC will consider: (1) price; (2) the number of years buyers have been buying and marketing Pacific halibut; (3) how fish are graded, including the determination of No. 2 Pacific halibut and chalky fish; and (4) promptness in settlements following deliveries. Obtaining a fair market price will be a primary consideration in awarding fish sales. The IPHC will also attempt to distribute sales among as many qualified buyers as possible, subject to fair market value.

All buyers (including those with past IPHC sales history) interested in purchasing IPHC FISS fish in 2023 should complete the Interested Buyer Form.  

Replying to this media release will ensure you are kept informed of purchasing opportunities throughout our field season. For further information, please contact IPHC Secretariat at (206) 634-1838 or via email at Secretariat@iphc.int.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int

28 February 2023

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking to charter a longline vessel to conduct a brief (2 preparation days and 5 fishing days) pilot experiment investigating devices intended to reduce marine mammal depredation of catch from longline gear. The purpose of the charter is to (1) investigate the logistics of setting, fishing, and hauling two pilot catch protection devices: a) an underwater shuttle and b) branchline gear with a sliding shroud system, and (2) investigate the basic performance of the gear on catch rates and fish size compared to traditional gear. This project will help refine potential devices that can be used in the Pacific halibut fishery to protect catch on the gear from removal or damage by whales and to potentially interrupt the reward cycle leading to depredation. Pilot fishing will not be conducted in the presence of whales and no fish from this study will be retained after sampling.

The IPHC will consider only those vessels with captains and crews that have recent (within five years) longline fishing experience. The IPHC may require an inspection of the vessel prior to awarding the charter.

Vessels need not be licensed for Pacific halibut fishing in Canada or the USA to be eligible. The IPHC is not restricted as to nationality of the vessels it charters for operation in any region as long as customs and immigration regulations are followed.

Interested vessel owners are invited to submit tenders based upon the 2023 IPHC Catch Protection Pilot Study (CPS) Vessel Tender Specifications. The Tender Specifications and Vessel Tender Forms for this project may be downloaded and accessed directly from the IPHC website: Opportunities | IPHC (click on “IPHC Research Charters”).

The IPHC will not be obligated to accept the tender with the lowest bid or any tender received and will contract according to its best interests. Vessels will be rated using the following criteria:

1. seaworthiness and general condition of the vessel and its equipment,
2. the vessel’s availability within the schedule determined solely by the IPHC Secretariat,
3. the vessel captain’s experience and fishing record,
4. the qualifications of the selected crew,
5. IPHC operating costs (tender amounts)
6. Previous interactions with the IPHC and its Secretariat, experience operating as a charter vessel, scheduling flexibility, and ability to take additional Secretariat staff are other factors to be potentially considered in the decision-making process.

Submissions must be completed no later than 16:59 (Pacific) on 10 March 2023.

For further information please contact the IPHC Secretariat at Secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int

9 February 2023

SEATTLE – The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) completed its 99^th Annual Meeting (AM099) held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 23-27 January 2023 with decisions on total mortality limits, fishing period dates, and other fishery regulation changes. A total of 134 members of the public attended the meeting either in-person (78) or remotely (56), in addition to six (6) Commissioners, and 12 contracting party advisors/experts.

The Commission adopted the TCEY mortality limits for each IPHC Regulatory Area as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Distributed mortality (TCEY) limits (net weight¹) by IPHC Regulatory Area.

Contracting Party IPHC Regulatory Area	Mortality limit (TCEY) (Mlbs)	Mortality limit (TCEY) (metric tonnes)
Canada Total: 2B	6.78	3,075.36
USA: 2A	1.65	748.43
USA: 2C	5.85	2,653.52
USA: 3A	12.08	5,479.40
USA: 3B	3.67	1,664.68
USA: 4A	1.73	784.71
USA: 4B	1.36	616.89
USA: 4CDE	3.85	1,746.33
United States of America Total	30.19	13,693.95
Total (IPHC Convention Area)	36.97	16,769.31
1 Net weight of a Pacific halibut means the weight of Pacific halibut that is without gills and entrails, head-off, washed (without ice and slime). If a Pacific halibut is weighed with the head on or with ice and slime, the required conversion factors for calculating net weight are a 2 percent deduction for ice and slime and a 10 percent deduction for the head.

The IPHC recommended an overall fishing period (season) beginning at 1200 (noon) local time on 10 March 2023 to 1200 (noon) local time on 7 December 2023 for all directed commercial Pacific halibut fisheries in Canada and the USA. In IPHC Regulatory Area 2A, the tribal and non-tribal commercial fisheries will occur within these dates. 

In accordance with the IPHC Convention, the fishery regulations approved by the IPHC, including mortality limits, and fishing periods, will be recommended to the Contracting Parties for implementation according to their domestic laws and regulations.    

Meeting information, documents, presentations, recordings, and the final report are available on the meeting page at the IPHC website:  99^th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM099) | IPHC.

For further information please contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int

13 January 2023

In-Person and Remote (electronic) participation welcome

SEATTLE – Eligible Pacific halibut processors are invited to register and provide accreditation details for the upcoming 28^th Session of the IPHC Processor Advisory Board (PAB028), which will be held in a hybrid format to allow both in-person and remote participation.

Eligibility: In accordance with the IPHC Rules of Procedure (2022), only those whose direct business is purchasing, processing and selling Pacific halibut caught in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, or California, are eligible for PAB membership.

Please be reminded that in order for you to attend the upcoming meeting as a Member, you must first complete the online accreditation form for the meeting, even if you have attended as a Member in the past.

Step 1: Online accreditation form

Then, please register for the meeting so we know how many people the meeting room will need to accommodate.

Step 2: Meeting registration

All meeting documents will be published as they are available to the PAB028 meeting page linked here.

All IPHC meetings are open to observers and the general public. Please register using the above link.

IPHC Secretariat
International Pacific Halibut Commission
2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98199-1287
206-634-1838 | www.iphc.int